April 25th, 2008

April 22, 2008 A number of country artists including George Jones, Charlie Daniels and Rebecca Lynn Howard are featured in a forthcoming album that pays tribute to the memories of those who died during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The album, Never Forget, includes several news songs made specifically for this project, which is tied to the recent christening of the U.S.S. New York. Both Charlie and Rebecca Lynn performed at that event, honoring a ship with a hull made from more than seven tons of iron and metal salvaged from the World Trade Center.

The album will also feature music by Tanya Tucker, Aaron Tippin, Tracy Lawrence, Michael Peterson and Pam Tillis, plus newcomers Lloyd Knight, Leah Faith and Justin Ryan. Never Forget will be released Aug. 26 with a portion of the proceeds earmarked for charity.

March 22nd, 2008

Bow of New York contains 7 1/2 tons of steel from attack site

A brand new Navy vessel and floating memorial to the victims of 9/11 will be commanded by a Binghamton-area native.

Chenango Valley High School graduate Cmdr. Curt Jones, 40, will command the USS New York, which was christened earlier this month in New Orleans.

The New York’s bow stem contains 7 1/2 tons of steel recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center, following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to manufacturer Northrop Grumman.

Jones was born and raised in Binghamton, just north of Bevier Street. He graduated from CV in 1985, before attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston and joining the Navy.

The hulking, gray, 25,000-ton New York, with a motto of “Never Forget,” will be the first ship under Jones’ command. He called the assignment “completely humbling.”

“There’s so much tied up and represented in the ship,” Jones said. “I’m just a guy that grew up in upstate New York, and here I am now going to be in command of one of the newest warships … It’s just incredible.”

Jones spoke from Newport, R.I., where he and a crew are training. His wife and children live in Memphis.

Jones’ parents and siblings have moved from the area, but he said he still has friends in Binghamton.

His parents, Tom and Sandra Jones, live in Florida. They and the rest of the Jones family were on hand in New Orleans for the New York’s christening.

“I think he would have done whatever it was he decided to do … ” Sandra Jones said. “What I am most proud of is the kind of young man he has become.”

While he was already in line to command a ship, Jones said the fact he was from New York played a role in his getting this particular vessel.

“We’d hate to have somebody from Florida to be the first CO (commanding officer) of New York,” Jones said.

Jones didn’t know anyone personally who died in the terrorist attacks, but said he’s met the families of many victims since he was named prospective commanding officer of the New York. Many were at the christening of the ship.

“As you might imagine, it was a pretty powerful day,” Jones said.

The ship will be officially put into service — commissioned — in late 2009 in New York City.

The New York is an amphibious assault ship. Its primary job is to carry up to 700 Marines and their gear to wherever they need to go.

State names are normally reserved for Naval submarines, but former Gov. George E. Pataki requested the name be given to a surface ship involved in the war on terror to honor the 9/11 victims, according to the Navy.

The last ship to bear the name New York was a battleship that saw duty in both World Wars. Ironically, its keel-laying, the event marking the beginning of the shipbuilding process, was Sept. 11, 1911.

March 5th, 2008

MYFOXNY.COM The U.S. Navy christened a new warship Saturday that pays tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. The amphibious transport dock ship New York is officially named for the state but informally pays tribute to the city and the victims of the attacks. More than seven tons of steel salvaged from the wreckage of the World Trade Center was melted down and used in the construction of the bow stem.

It was named the New York at the request of then-Gov. George Pataki, who wrote a letter to the Navy after the attacks.Thousands of people, including friends and families of 9/11 victims, gathered Saturday at the ceremony at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding facilities outside of New Orleans. The official motto of New York is Never Forget, which is painted on the hull.

This is a special day for a magnificent ship that has a special place in the heart of every American, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England said during the ceremony. On the day the towers fell, all Americans were New Yorkers.

May God bless this ship and all who sail on her, ship sponsor Dotty England said before smashing a bottle of champagne against it, producing a loud thump to go with the spurting liquid and flying streamers.

The diesel-powered 25,000-ton San Antonio class vessel is 684 feet long, 105 feet wide and cost a billion dollars. It is armed with missile launches and two 30-millimeter guns. It will have a crew of 360 sailors and three Marines. It is also designed to transport a landing force of up to 800 Marines. The ship can launch four Sea Knight transport helicopters or two Osprey aircraft.

The prospective commanding officer is Cmdr. F. Curtis Jones who is from Binghamton, N.Y. The New York will be commissioned and added to the fleet next year in a ceremony at New York City, officially becoming the USS New York.

Two more San Antonio ships under construction include the Arlington and the Somerset, named for the other locations affected by Sept. 11: the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., and the field in Somerset, Pa., where United 93 crashed.

It is the fifth ship in the U.S. Navy to be named New York. The last was a battleship that served in both World Wars and was decommissioned in 1946. In addition, one Navy submarine was known as the USS New York City, and served the Navy from 1979 to 1997.

MyFoxNY.com with Associated Press and American Forces Press Service reports

The future USS New York LPD-21 under construction at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems’ shipyard in Avondale, LA, will be the fifth amphibious transport dock of the San Antonio class. The ship was named New York after the state and incorporates in its construction steel salvaged from the World Trade Centers. Her ship motto is "Never Forget." "We're very proud that the twisted steel from the WTC towers will soon be used to forge an even stronger national defense," New York Gov. George Pataki spoke in 2002. "The USS New York will soon be defending freedom and combating terrorism around the globe, while also ensuring that the world never forgets the evil attacks of Sept. 11 and the courage and strength New Yorkers showed.” This will be the seventh U.S. ship named New York.

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